Lotterby, Sydney

As Time Goes By - Complete Series 8 & 9

Once upon a time a dashing young British Army officer and a lovely student nurse fell deeply magically in love. Then he was shipped off to Korea and they never heard from one another. Forty years later fate brings them together again ... with hilarious results. In this collection of final classic episodes Alistair and Judith prepare for their wedding. Harry gets an offer to start a new life in Canada but will Sandy be a part of it? As the younger generation starts to move on the house begins to feel empty for Jean and Lionel. But a mystery woman on their doorstep and a surprise reappearance ensure things won't be dull for long.Running Time: 300 min.System Requirements:Running Time 346 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 794051233929

Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer continue their prickly but loving affair in the eighth and ninth series of As Time Goes By. Young lovers reunited 38 years after a lost letter ended their relationship, Jean (Dench, Shakespeare in Love, Iris) and Lionel (Palmer, He Knew He Was Right) have settled into cozy married life, but that doesn't stop Jean from meddling right and left with the lives of the younger folk around them--Jean's daughter Judy (Moira Brooker), her best friend Sandy (Jenny Funnell), and Lionel's wealthy and excitable publisher Alistair (Philip Bretherton). After eight years, you'd expect a sitcom to be played out, but As Time Goes By sustains its spark; it helps that British comedy-makers don't crank out dozens of mediocre episodes each season, but instead pour as much imagination and humanity as they can into a handful. The six episodes of Season eight are straightforward, with stories revolving around such tidbits as a lost dog or Jean's efforts to get on the Internet, but the simplicity of the plots only lets the rich rapport between Dench and Palmer be the show's true subject. The four-episode 9th and final season not only maintains quality but even picks up energy from bringing a satisfying resolution to the characters, with proposals and weddings skillfully managed by the man who wrote the entire series, Bob Larbey. He must have felt like he was bringing an enormous novel to a close, yet he avoided the temptation to go for some kind of spectacle, ending the show with the same basic pleasures of human foibles with which he began. This is obviously not the ideal starting point for a newcomer (though the show's tart but gentle humor is always accessible and enjoyable), but for any long-time fan, these final seasons will prove warmly satisfying. --Bret Fetzer

As Time Goes By - Complete Series 1 & 2

The fundamental things--engaging characters, impeccable performances, and witty, literate scripts--apply in As Time Goes By, the beloved 1992 British comedy series starring Dame Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer as former lovers Jean and Lionel. He is a divorced ex-army officer. She is a widow who runs the Type for You secretarial agency. They had "a great romance" during the Korean War, but they lost communication. Thirty-eight years later, the two run into each other again and rekindle what had been started so long ago. This series follows the two--along with Jean's twice-divorced daughter, Judith (Moira Brooker); Jean's assistant, Sandy (Jenny Funnell); and Lionel's young trendy publisher, Alastair (Philip Bretherton)--and takes a wry look at love among the youth and the more "mature." The first three episodes of the series introduce the slightly cantankerous yet vibrant characters, set up their history, and lay the groundwork for Jean and Lionel to tentatively circle around each other, trying to decide at what level they should continue their friendship, that is, if they should even continue being friends at all. Mixing modern romance with nostalgia for yesteryear, writer Bob Larbey and director Sydney Lotterby create a delightful comedy and a touching love story.

At the beginning of the series' second season. Lionel has written a dry memoir, My Life in Kenya, and reluctantly prepares for the book launch. As the date approaches, the tentative couple have a too-close encounter with Penny (Moyra Fraser), Jean's former sister-in-law, who invites them to spend the weekend at her country home. Finally, My Life in Kenya is published and Lionel steels himself for the book signing, while an anxious Jean buys up 140 copies herself. These episodes bring the second season to a touching and satisfying conclusion.

"As Time Goes By" stars Judi Dench & Geoffrey Palmer. Long ago Lionel a dashing young British Army officer met Jean a lovely student nurse and fell deeply in love. When Lionel was shipped off to fight in the Korean war the two lost touch. In the first episode of Series One they meet again and slowly begin to rekindle their romance. The wonderful series that ensues is simply a pleasure to watch.Running Time: 376 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 794051235923

As Time Goes By - You Must Remember This

For the first time in ages, Jean (Judi Dench) and Lionel (Geoffrey Palmer) have the house to themselves, which spurs them to look back at nine years of love and laughter. Flashbacks of meetings, partings, comedy and romance are all beautifully woven into a poignant tapestry of memories. Join Jean and Lionel as they remember the best of As Time Goes Byin this exclusive special.

DVD Features:
Biographies
Other:Trailers, Episode Summaries
TV Special:3 exclusive bonus episodes, chosen by the fans (1 of which has never been available on Home Video)

As Time Goes By - Complete Series 3

Series 2 Episodes 1 - 4: As Alistair pushes Lionel into promotional stunts Moira pressures Jean and Lionel to get on with it. The harried couple visit Lionel's father who plans to re-marry. Finally Lionel wonders why Alistair is knocking himself out for "a dull read."Running Time: 300 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS UPC: 794051236029

Academy Award-winner Geoffrey Palmer and Oscar-winner Dame Judi Dench are the "dream team" in this beloved British TV series about former lovers reunited after 38 years. The third season's the charm as Lionel and Jean take the next step in their rekindled romance by moving in together. Theirs is, one character notes, "a great love story," one which a publisher friend thinks that--with "a few minor alterations"--might make "a stunning miniseries" for American television. In several memorable episodes, Lionel and Jean's long-delayed dream holiday to Paris becomes a comic nightmare when they babysit a spatting honeymoon couple. Lionel displays his "softer side" when he gives his blessing to his indefatigable 85-year-old father's marriage. Meanwhile, Jean opens a second branch of her secretarial agency. But at the heart of this season is Lionel and Jean's new living arrangement. They are, it is observed, "like ham and eggs," except that they've never lived in the same pan before. It isn't going to be easy, but as Lionel notes, "When did anyone ever claim that love was easy?"

As Time Goes By is all the more precious considering that mature couples like Lionel and Jean are irrelevant on American television. "We are relevant," a defiant Jean insists. Better still, they are true. There are moments in this very human comedy that will have you, in the words of one ham-handed American television executive, "by the throat," as when Lionel, penning the miniseries, tells Jean what he felt when he first saw her all those years ago: "I saw you and I stopped breathing." --Donald Liebenson

Butterflies - Series 1

Carla Lane's piquant brand of whimsical comedy peaked in 1978 with the BBC sitcom Butterflies. Wendy Craig as Ria Parkinson, the wife and mother who can never quite put her finger on what's missing from her mundane life, is outstanding. She wrings every ounce of truth from a script that, if anything, has sharpened with the years. The concept of the housewife, "happily but not excitingly married," whose main function as perceived by those around her is to meet the needs of a reactionary husband (Geoffrey Palmer, baleful as ever) and a pair of layabout sons, might be dated. The fashions certainly are. But her plight is that of everybody who has ever thought, "there must be something better." And she is innocently subversive: a terrible cook, forever teetering on the brink of an affair with a lonely, smitten businessman she meets one lunchtime in a coffee shop, and always defying conventions. The passage of time exposes a real depth and darkness in Lane's writing: Ria's constant, dreamy philosophizing provokes raging outbursts of uncomprehending frustration from her husband that reveal him to be equally at odds with his own situation. This edgy streak saves Butterflies from mawkishness and keeps it fresh even today. --Piers Ford

Geoffrey Palmer (As Time Goes By, Mrs. Brown) and Wendy Craig (The Forsyte Saga) star in one of the most popular BBC sitcoms ever. She is an everyday housewife bored beyond endurance with her life. Married to a dour dentist who collects butterflies obsessively and the mother of two teenage sons whose chief occupation is bickering with their father, Ria Parkinson wants something more. Or is it someone more? When she meets a wealthy businessman who tries to woo her, she struggles to find out. As seen on public television.

As Time Goes By - Complete Series 4

Series 2 Episode 5 - 7: Uncomfortable with her sister-in-law knowing about her romance Jean has Lionel pose as a psychiatrist she just met. Lionel enrages Jean by encouraging their subtle romance. Lionel's book hits the stands and ""everyone"" schemes to ensure it is a success.Running Time: 261 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS UPC: 794051236128

As Time Goes By - Complete Series 7

Once upon a time, a dashing young British Army officer and a lovely student nurse fell deeply, magically in love. Then he was shipped off to Korea and they never heard from one another. Forty years later, fate brings them together again... with hilarious results. In this collection of classic episodes, Jean has issues with her new neighbors, Lionel deals with his hearing loss, and Judith and Sandy both have memorable encounters with their suitors.

Butterflies - Series 2

Geoffrey Palmer (As Time Goes By, Mrs. Brown) and Wendy Craig (The Forsyte Saga) star in this distinctive BBC series. Funny and poignant, the story revolves around a housewife frustrated by life with her detached husband and glib sons, and by her own dismal failure to master even the boring and repetitive tasks at hand. As a handsome admirer pursues her, she guiltily flits from her real life to this exciting distraction like a butterfly aware that its time is running out. Created by prolific Britcom writer Carla Lane (The Liver Birds, Bread). Includes the Christmas special.

As Time Goes By - Complete Series 5

It may be odd for Americans to imagine Dame Judi Dench, award-winning powerhouse British thespian, in a TV sitcom, but she and Geoffrey Palmer star in the wonderful As Time Goes By. As Jean and Lionel, they're a couple whose romance during the Korean War went awry due to a lost letter--then, 38 years later, they meet by accident and pick up where they left off. In Series 5, they are now a comfortable couple (though prone to spar and bicker), living with Jean's daughter Judith and her friend Sandy. The stories revolve around a house in the country, the long-delayed airing of a miniseries that Lionel wrote, and grappling with their troublesome in-laws--but the plots are secondary to the fantastically well-written and acted interplay between the richly drawn characters. Even if you haven't seen any earlier episodes, you'll quickly be drawn into their world. --Bret Fetzer

Once upon a time, a dashing young British Army officer and a lovely student nurse fell deeply, magically in love. Then he was shipped off to Korea and they never heard from one another. Forty years later, fate brings them together again? with hilarious results. In this fifth installment of the popular series, Jean and Lionel adjust to life as newlyweds.

As Time Goes By - Complete Series 6

Every series of British sitcom As Time Goes By is an astonishing pleasure. Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer star as Jean and Lionel, two long-ago sweethearts who fell out of touch during the Korean War, then--due to a chance re-meeting--rekindled their romance in their late middle age. Series 6 mostly revolves around Jean's reluctantly retiring from her business, along with the stumbling romance of her daughter Judith (Moira Brooks) and their friend Alistair (Philip Bretherton, particularly strong this series). The plots of the show are often gossamer-thin--one entire episode revolves around circumventing the nosiness of Jean's sister--but it doesn't matter. The rapport between Dench and Palmer holds a treasure trove of alternating comfort and prickliness. It only takes a half-finished sentence and a disgruntled look to be screamingly funny. They're as attuned to each other as dancers; their waltz through As Time Goes By is a pleasure to behold. --Bret Fetzer

A SECOND CHANCE AT LOVE... AND LAUGHTER. Once upon a time, a dashing young British Army officer and a lovely student nurse fell deeply, magically in love. Then he was shipped off to Korea and they never heard from one another. Forty years later, fate brings them together again - with hilarious results. Starring the acclaimed Dame Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer, this DVD contains all seven heart-warming episodes from the sixth season of the PBS hit, including the episode voted the #1 fan-favorite!